Combined telephone drop and jack.



No. 877,968. PATENTED FEB. 4, 1908.

' HLG. THOMSON.

COMBINED TELEPHONE DROP AND JACK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7,1907.

Moi/71,0555 s. f 72116722507? 04% KQM.

UNITED srArEs enrnnr opinion.

HENRY C. THOMSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC GOODS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

COMBINED TELEPHONE DROP AND TACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1908.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY C. THOMSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, and whose post-ofiice address is 115 Purchase street, Boston, have invented a new and useful Combined Telephone Drop and Jack, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates -to telephone jacks and telephone drops.

My invention consists in combining the same, and in providing the combination with a grooved insulating support through which the jack-plug passes and in so supporting in the groove a celluloid or similarly transparent guard-plate that the same shall be in front of the annunciatorsignaling letter or figure upon the annunciator drop. This simplifies and improves the combined device but requires and provides the guard-plate in order to prevent the hand of the operator in moving the j ack-plug from striking and displacing or disfiguring the annunciator face.

The invention is generally disposed in banks.

My invention is shown in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional view of the apparatus, illustrating the arrangement in banks, the upper magnet being energized and the lower magnet not being energized. Fig. 2

Fig. 3 is a is a plan view looking down.

Fig. 4 1s a section on line 33 of Fig. 2. section on line 44 of Fig. 1.

The jack which I propose to use is of a general construction which is well known. As herein shown, it is composed of an insulating block A through which passes a sleeve (1. in which the jack-plug (not shown) is to be inserted, a metal frame B attached to said block A and holding in its partially bifurcated further extremity'the usual circuit springs 1, 2, 3 and 4, and leading to the line wires (not shown), which springs come into operation by means of the jack-plug in a manner well known.

The telephone drop is also in its general purpose and broadly in its general construction well known in the art, and consists substantially in two helices C C resting upon metal supports 0 d at each end. Each support is slotted at about 0 (1 near its central portion, and the front support 0 also carries a plate e having two projecting lugs e e in and through the slots in the supports and operates upon (preferably by gearing as shown with the slotted arm f said face plate E in such way that upon the magnet being energized and the armature attracted -1netal rod I-I runs between the two magnets said. rod will oscillate said face-plate and thereby permit said signal number to come into view, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 1. Two, preferably brass, rods h it carried by the two supports are properly connected with the jack terminals.

The described jack and described annunciator are physically combined and unified by means of an angle bracket 0 being an eX- tension of support 0 and in such a position with relation tothe insulating block of the jack that a transparent celluloid or similar guard-plate D may be mounted in the groove of said block near to, but not so as to interfere with the oscillation of, the signal drop.

It is not necessary that either the jack or the annunciator be in the precise form or have the precise arrangement as above described so long as they are substantially as herein explained and are combined as herein explained, so as to provide for the use of the protective guard-plate as herein explained. The operation of the device is electrically the combined operation of said devices and need not be further described.

These jacks and drops are in practice arranged, somewhat as illustrated in Fig. 1, in banks of five or ten, so that each ack will support upon its grooved insulating block as described the transparent guard-plate, and preferably each insulating block except the lower one will be correspondingly grooved on its bottom so that said guard-pl ate may be made to slide back and forth in grooves, and

.be supported both at its top and at its bottom.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination of a telephone jack and signal-drop, a grooved and perforated insulating block upon which the same is mounted, a sleeve for the j ack-plug inserted in said perforated block, and a transparent guard-plate mounted in the grooved insulatl ing block in said jack in front of, but not touching, said signal-drop; all substantially as described and shown.

2. The combination of a telephone jack composed of a brass frame, three or more circuit springs With insulators and terminals sustained by said frame, a grooved and perforated. insulating block upon Which the frame is mounted, and a sleeve for the jack plug inserted in said. perforated block, with an annunciator-drop consisting of twomag- I nets slotted front and rear supports therefor,

a signaldrop loosely pivoted before the front support, an armature loosely mounted on the, rear support, a pin mounted on said armature, passing through the slotted supports and communicating motion from the armature to said drop, a bracket by Which the said annunciatondrop is fixedly mounted upon said jack, and a transparent guard- 'plate mounted in the grooved insulating block in said jack in front of, but not touching, said signal-drop; all substantially as described and shown.

In witness whereof, I hereunto sign my name this thirty-first day of May, 1907.

HENRY C. THOMSON. 

